Hello, and welcome to my Homebrew Starter's Guide (Referred to HSG from now on) crash course. I'll separate this guide onto a few sections. The purpose of this guide is to tell you what is what and how to do it. Likewise my Preloader guide, sorry to bump this up <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/tongue.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="tongue.gif" />.

Thanks for Reading!

Just to note: <u><i><b>Always search before asking.</b></i></u>

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<b>HOMEBREW TERMS~~</b>
These are just simple terms, each will be explained on other sections. CTRL+F one of these terms to find their section

Homebrew is an unofficial code/software made by various developers. Each homebrew application does different stuffs.

To get you started (Meaning, installing Homebrew Channel, to get you started on the homebrew scene), follow this guide over here:
<a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=83479" target="_blank">http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=83479</a>

Once you get HBC up and running, make this folder map (Meaning, folders and their subfolders):
<b>
SD
|
----->Apps
|
----->WADs</b>

As simple as that, put your downloaded homebrew applications (Could be obtained from <a href="http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Main_Page" target="_blank">here</a>) into the Apps folder. If the .dol file isn't named "boot.dol", rename it to boot.dol. Some applications require you to make a new folder and put some files in there, but it's all in the README.

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<b>IOS & cIOS~~</b>

Warning: Spoilers inside!

Think IOS as a set of drivers, each with their own functions. cIOS are modified drivers that does something more than IOS does (Launching backups, for example)

Now, firmwares are like Windows. If you got the latest Windows Update, you got the latest Windows Firmware. Now, to check what's the firmware on your Wii, go to Settings. Look for the top-right corner. See the numbers? That's your firmware.

But firmware is just firmware (Meaning, it's just the system menu's version). If you are downgrading, make sure you have a run of IOS Downgrader (To make sure all of your IOSes are trucha-bugged). Hit any errors? Try again.

Also, just to make sure, I recommend you have a run of IOS Downgrader (Even though you never actually upgraded/downgraded your firmware). Done that? Okay then.

Note that most of them are illegal. However, there are a few exceptions:
1)If you create a cIOS WAD file for you and yourself only, it's legal.
2)If you extracted them IOSes for you and yourself only, it's legal.
3)Homebrew Channel is legal.
4)If you somehow made your own IOS/cIOS. It's legal

To install WADs, you can use either one of these tools:
1)WAD Manager
2)WAD Installer = It auto-installs, so be careful

Backups are games that you dumped and burnt or games that you pirated over the Net. Before, we need to patch these ISOs first before using them, but now, you don't need to patch (<b>Except for some games</b>) the games, because we already have:

In total, if you are still patching your games, that means you suck, because patching are antiques now. With the exception of a few games, of course.
<a href="http://www.gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=129239" target="_blank">Guide to burn backups, by the way</a>

We use this to run backups. Of course, you have to have a cIOS installed (cIOS36 rev09 is recommended). Currently, here are the backup launchers currently available:

1)Gecko OS = Only for those with modchips. Without, and it will only be a region-free original games loader
2)Backup Launcher Gamma = The recommended Backup Launcher for all of the N00bs
3)Softchip = Recommended for running specific games

Also, if you get error 324, usually means that you have a bad burn (With cIOS installed prior). So, stop making stupid topics about error 324, it are bad.

It's a cIOS pack that you install through WAD Manager, which replaces all your IOS with customs. It is used so that you could run backups off the Disc Channel. I won't put up a link on where to get this as we already have SOFTMII which implies CIOSCORP and all other stuffs.

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<b><a href="http://softmii.org/" target="_blank">SOFTMII~~</a></b> <--Click it to Get it

Warning: Spoilers inside!

It's a modification pack that implies full backup loading through Disc Channel. It would be a modchip-alternative at this point. But then, see the modchips section below.

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<b><a href="http://wiibrew.org/wiki/Preloader" target="_blank">PRELOADER~~</a></b> <-- Click it to GET it

Warning: Spoilers inside!

It is an application that writes to your Wii Hardware. I won't comment on whether it's dangerous or not. Here's a <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=135174" target="_blank">guide</a> by me
What it does:
1)Autoboot (Turn on Wii) into either System Menu/HBC/homebrew app in SD Card (Can be set)
2)Boots into either SysMenu/HBC/Homebrew app
3)Loads it's own menu through holding RESET then turning on your Wii (Still holding the RESET button)
4)More Brick protection
5)You can get your own hacks (Like, move Disc Channel)

Modchip is a chip that modifies your Wii's DVD Drive. To mod your DVD Drive you need a modchip, which you can buy over the Net.
<!--quoteo--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->Then again, why modchip, since we got softmod??<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Why modchip:
1) Maximum compatibility
2) Supports auto-boot DVDs

Currently, there are solderless and solder-must modchips. So, just buy one according to your preference

I'm recommending getting a modchip AND softmod if you got extra cash. If not, then, stay with Softmod-only method. Speed is now no longer of importance with the existence of USB Loader <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

It's a term for channels that launches homebrew applications. You get them as WADs, and you install them via WAD Manager. You can find most of your favourited apps turned-to-channels here:
<a href="http://www.gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=123034" target="_blank">http://www.gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=123034</a>

Bricks are not your normal house bricks. It's a term for saying that your Wii is unoperable. There's currently three normal bricks:
1) Semi-brick = You can't access your settings, there's fixes, but best of searching for them
2) banner brick = This is usually due to installing bad WADs. If you have this brick, you are unable to access system menu, it will show "The system files are corrupted" error. To fix this, you require an auto-boot wad manager (If you've modchip), or Preloader.
3)Full brick = Done by uninstalling System Menu, its IOS and everything else that's stupid.

All of these bricks can be recovered by using Bootmii. <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="biggrin.gif" />

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Well, that's it for now. Hope you understand everything now!

(And I also hope that people will read this first before anything)<u></u>

And of course, you have to install cIOS36 rev07 (Google it, or get it somewhere), for homebrew purposes

You only need to install a IOS, if something doesn't work, IOS16 is only required for downgrade and it's 100% illegal. If a game doesn't work, you will notice and then you can install the IOS needed, there's no need to install all IOS available. About the cIOS: Installation through wad is illegal(in this case), installation through installer is legal(if it's possible to be legal at all in your country), when all needed files for the installer are obtained legally.

Quoted from afif95:

Now, firmwares are like Windows. If you got the latest Windows Update, you got the latest Windows Firmware. Now, to check what's the firmware on your Wii, go to Settings. Look for the top-right corner. See the numbers? That's your firmware.

That's only the system menu version, this doesn't say anything about being able to install and use trucha signed stuff. If you have the IOS files from for example 3.2 then you can tell that your firmware is 3.2, or else it's just the system menu at 3.2.

Quoted from afif95:

WADS~~
Think of WADs as installation packs. They could be (for now) one of these:

Note that 1, 3, 4 & 5 are illegal (Especially 1 and 3, for 4, only one of them is illegal, and 5, well, that's a 50-50)

To install WADs, you can use either one of these tools:
1)WAD Manager
2)WAD Installer = It's auto-installs, so be careful

Click to expand...

About 1 + 3) illegal
About 2) Most custom channels are illegal, because they contain code from nintendo to start the application included in the channel. I myself only know 1 legal channel, and that's the homebrew channel, which is not available as wad.
About 4) is legal, and this only when you extracted it yourself from a game you own or your Wii's NAND and you only use it for yourself.
About 5) If you would create a cIOS wad yourself, it would be legal, downloaded cIOS wads are illegal. If someone would write a cIOS or IOS completely on his own, it would be legal.

QUOTE(afif95 @ Jan 24 2009, 02:42 PM)

Click to expand...

BACKUPS~~
Backups are games that you dumped and burnt or games that you pirated over the Net. Before, we need to patch these ISOs first before using them, but now, you don't need to patch (Except for some games) the games, because we already have:

There are at least 2 kinds of patches which are "needed" for now:
- IOS Version patching to IOS249 for certain games when launched from Gamma or SoftChip
- Video mode patches, for import games which don't contain the code for your prefered video mode and your tv not supporting the video mode(s) in the game.

But i agree with you, if somebody removes the updates, brickblocks, decrypts, changes the region code or patches whatever else, he has no idea what he's doing.

DVD+Rs do a good job, you only need to set the booktype to dvd-rom in order to get them to work.

Hi i've got Banner bricked on my wii.
I don't have a modchip.
When i start up my wii, it just shows the preloader and i can't access to wii menu at all?
So is there another solution? or do i must get the mod chip in order to fix this problem?

Helped me understand my Wii a bit better, and also confirming what I'm actually doing is right. Although, for some reason, for the WADS, I'm getting some error (-1 i think). Do you know a solution to this?